The Ministry of Defence has set out new details on Project Octopus, a joint UK–Ukraine defence industrial initiative aimed at rapidly scaling air defence drone production for use in the war against Russia.
In a written parliamentary answer published on Friday, Defence Minister Luke Pollard confirmed that Project Octopus is the first joint industrial programme launched under Project Lyra, the bilateral framework established to deepen defence cooperation between the UK and Ukraine. Pollard said the initiative, announced by the Prime Minister on 10 September 2025, focuses on adapting a Ukrainian-designed air defence interceptor for large-scale manufacturing. “Under Project OCTOPUS, the UK and Ukraine will work together to rapidly optimise a Ukrainian designed air defence interceptor for mass production,” he said.
According to the minister, initial production is expected to begin in the United Kingdom within weeks, with early units then sent to Ukraine for testing and operational deployment. “The first units are anticipated to start being produced in the UK in the coming weeks, before being sent to Ukraine for testing and operational deployment,” Pollard added.
The programme is intended to move quickly from development into sustained output, with an emphasis on volume as well as speed. The project’s stated ambition is to establish production lines capable of delivering very high numbers of systems each month. Pollard said the initiative “aims to enable production at scale, with a target of being able to produce thousands of drones per month to support Ukraine’s defence needs.”
Project Octopus represents a shift towards deeper integration between the UK and Ukrainian defence industries, moving beyond donations and towards joint design, manufacture and operational feedback. The focus on air defence interceptors reflects Ukraine’s continuing requirement to counter large volumes of aerial threats, including drones and cruise missiles, through systems that can be produced rapidly and in significant numbers.
Hopefully, decent ongoing orders and continued development to give UK forces a load of these as well as keeping production lines going well into the future?
These seem like the obvious solution for air defence against crappy propeller powered drones which seems to be about 90% of what Russia can actually make.
The UK always goes for a few high end systems – not always needed!
The thing with drones is that having a massive stockpile isn’t a good idea as the tech is moving so fast.
So the important thing is spiral R&D feeding into hot production which spirals in sync.
We also get the bonus of them being tested for us in URK.
As this gives us R&D spiral and hot supply chain and production then it probably the right place to spend the money TBH.
The speed and adaption of current assets and kit for Ukraine is impressive. Could we please see this attitude and effort mirrored in the next 24 months regarding building up some depth within the Army please. Ukraine has shown, contrary to what many (and indeed me many years ago) that mass has an advantage all of its own.
Beat me to it Airborne.
Indeed even some industrial mass would be more than useful.
Then maybe some 155mm mass…..here is to hope…..
Is it just me or is this just getting more and more surreal by the month – the disconnect between what comes out of government in terms of words and cash and further between what we are(n’t) doing and what our allies are doing.